Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG 2013 Review - International

So we’ve come to the Austrian mountains to sample the new Mercedes-Benz S 63 AMG. Clearly that offers the opportunity to make jokes about a different sound of music alive in the hills as that 5.5-litre Biturbo V8 opens its exhaust flaps.

Trouble is the rain is tumbling down, discouraging heavy throttle use and, perhaps more fortunately, crap attempts at humour.

The drive route, which insists on traipsing through village after village on the valley floor rather than exploring the more interesting intestinal bitumen that head up those hillsides, is killing the sense of occasion too.

And then there’s the fact some bloody Canadian journo has taken off in the rear-wheel drive S 63 we had reserved. That means we are in an all-wheel drive 4MATIC version that we won’t even get in Australia because Benz won’t build it in right-hand drive.

Oh well, at least the traction advantage is nice in the wet and we can get a feel for that overwhelming 430kW and 900Nm engine (plus 30kW and 100Nm over the old S 63). Less so the steering, handling and ride because the 4MATIC runs a different suspension to the rear-driver.

But back to the basics. The new S 63 AMG is the latest example of Mercedes-Benz hot tuner’s dedication to serving up way too much of everything and then just adding a few per cent more just to make sure you’re completely overwhelmed.

Based on the latest S-Class generation, it goes on sale in Australia in late October alongside the first of the mainstream models. This time round you get the choice of the S 63 in short- or long-wheelbase (3035mm or 3165mm).

Previously it was the S 63 in short and the V12 S 65 in long, but the 1000Nm model has been dropped from the local range due to lack of demand. V12 fans will have to wait for the arrival of the new S-Class coupe in the second quarter of 2014.

Benz isn’t talking about S 63 pricing just yet, but is willing to hint it will be around $400,000 for the short-wheelbase, which is roughly equivalent to the old 63. The long should arrive from under $450,000, lopping at least $50,000 from the old S 65 L price.

These are exorbitant prices clearly. Ninety nine point nine, nine, nine per cent repeater of the new car buying public is out of the ballpark. Which leaves about 20 S 63 AMG buyers in Australia per annum.

Other cars they might shop against the S 63 AMG could include the Bentley Continental Flying Spur, BMW 760Li or Porsche Panamera Turbo… but don’t hold your breath for that comparo.

Mercedes-Benz probably wouldn’t be so crass as to put it this way, but there is an argument for improved value in the new-generation S 63 AMG. It picks up all the sophisticated new generation active safety features led by the Driving Assistance Package Plus, which has cameras, radars and sensors at the ready to swerve, stop, accelerate or turn for you depending on the impending issue it detects.

All those digital eyes and ears and the accompanying computing power also procure another important advance donated by S-Class called Magic Body Control, which pre-prepares the suspension for bumps in the road. This is a feature 4MATIC cars miss out on because of front driveshafts cluttering up the place. Instead it makes do with Airmatic air suspension.

Compared to Euro versions, the Australian-bound S 63 has climate seats, a panoramic roof, dynamic front seats with heating, surround camera, full LED headlights, 20-inch forged light-alloy wheels, the lesser of two Burmester surround sound systems, hands-free access and red brake callipers.

There’s heaps more standard and heaps more optional, but we’re not going to go through it all because even on the internet we probably haven’t got enough space.

And the real point about an AMG – even one based on Benz’s biggest and heaviest and nominally least sporting sedan -- is the technical work that has gone into honing its character.

AMG’s crew of petrol-head techs have touched every part of the car – engine, transmission, axles, cooling system, exhausts, damping, electric-assist steering calibration and so on.

This is the first production car to use a Li-Ion starter battery, a carbon-fibre spare wheel tub and there has even been V-bracing added to the front of the new platform that provides added lateral stiffness and improved steering response, directness and feel – or so AMG claims.

To be frank, given the conditions and the drive route, the 30 or so kilometres we did finally manage to snaffle in a rear-wheel drive S 63 AMG didn’t allow comprehensive analysis.

It’s certainly bloody fast, delivering 4.4-second 0-100km/h acceleration and a governed 250km/h top speed which can be loosened to 300km/h by your friendly AMG dealer.

The only downer is the 4MATIC accelerates 0.4 seconds seconds faster to 100km/h because of its better traction. But considering its weight of almost two tonnes (there’s only a 25kg weight difference between the short and long RWD at a respective 1970 and 1995kg) it’s a great achievement. So is the 10.1L/100km fuel consumption claim (although real-world figures will be higher).

Big brakes also clamped down hard when required, belying the size of the car they must contain.

The S 63 sounds great, especially when you are in Sport or Manual transmission modes, which encourages a louder exhaust note sooner. But this is only a noisy car when you want it to be. Otherwise it remains as quiet and refined as limo should be.

Sport mode also delivers a tetchiness in the seven-speed MCT gearbox’s tip-in throttle responses that is intentionally meant to remind you this car is no longer just a cruiser. In manual mode the ’box won’t change up for you either. Instead the digital instrument display will helpfully suggest it’s time to tap the paddle shifter – in red letters about 5cm high.

Not only were the test roads wet, they were also very smooth. The few corruptions we did encounter suggested the buttons marked comfort and sport did change ride quality and body control, but not to the back-crunching extreme of more aggressive AMG models. It was perhaps even more comfortable in the rear, thanks to individual buckets and acres of legroom.

Steering remained something of a mystery. The low-profile rubber produced some tram tracking and the pressure of the power assistance tended to ramp up and down a little inconsistently. The notable increase in heaviness in sport mode didn’t really seem to bring with it any sense of the car becoming more intimate.

Mind you, considering its size and weight and the conditions, there is no doubting it is capable.

There’s no debating the two-spoke steering wheel’s distinct look. It’s reflective of a cabin treatment that varies from the restrained to the… exuberant. But unsurprisingly, the materials quality is sky high and the assembly quality also brilliant. There are AMG badges, embossing and really supportive front seats, but the overall effect is drawn very much from the donor car.

As is true of the outside. There is AMG detailing but this is very much and obviously S-Class in origin.

So arguably what we have here is the best of both worlds. The civility and refinement of the S-Class and the brutishness of AMG, melding together and meeting somewhere in the middle.

But we’ll wait to drive it in Australia to truly decide what song it sings.

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